Method of softening flexible material.



E, F. HODGKINS.

METHOD OF SOFTENING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.2. 1917.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

w W w ing drawings, is a specification,

' En s'rarns PATENT orator.

EDWARD F. HODGKINS, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR' T0 NA'UMKEAG- IBUFFIE'G MACHINE COMPANY, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or name.

METHOD OF SOFTENING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.

resents.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. Honexms, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certam Improvements in Methods of Softening Flex1- ble Material, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanylike reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures. V

This invention relates to a methodv of softening sheet material to render it more flexible and is herein described as practised in softening emery cloth which is to be used in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes 1t is common to bufi or scourthe bottoms of the outsoles by means of an air-cushioned rubber tool having a cover of emery cloth such, for example, as that shown in the patent to Rogers No. 631,675; and it .is de-.

sirable that the cover be flexible enough to adapt itself readily to variations in thesurface contour and irregularities in the surface of the sole. Emery cloth, however, as it comes from the manufacturer is comparatively stiff, and after having been made up into covers such as that shown in the patent does not readily conform to such variations and irregularities. The general ob'ect of the present invention is to devise a practicable method of softening and thus rendering more flem'ble emery cloth or other sheet material for any desired purposes of which that explained above will serve as an example.

In one of its aspects the invention consists in that improvement: in the method of softening sheet material which comprises progressively bending every portion of the sheet simultaneously in two directions at approximately right angles to each other. The effect of this'treatment is somewhat similar to that which would result from crumpling the sheet but has the advantage, when properly carried out, of avoiding the wrinkling and consequent breaking of the material which would result were said material crumpled.

It is desirable to avoid making any bends in the material'sharp enough to break it. 'At the same time itis necessary to bend it sufficiently to remove muchof its ori al stiffness. Accordingly, in another 0 its aspects,'the inventlon comprises putting ten- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

sion on the sheet, forming a series of waves in the sheet, and causing thevwaves to travel across the sheet in directions at an angle to the directionin which the tension is exerted.

While the method may be practised by the aid of hand tools it is advantageous in mak- Patented Aug. 28, 19171.

Application filed January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140,095.

ing commercial use of the method to practice it by means of a machine such as is illustrated in the drawings.

Referring now to the accompanying draw- Figure 1 is aperspective of an illustrative machine by which the present method may be carried out; I

Fig. 2 is a detail, partly in section, showing how the tension on the sheet material may be controlled;

Fig. 3 is a detail, principally in section, showing the mechanism by which the blocks which support certain bearings are held in adjusted position; v

Fig. 4 is an elevation on an enlarged scale of the softening tool shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a modified form in which two softening tools are em-' ployed.

' In practising the method by use of the cloth or other sheet material 100 is wound from a friction controlled idle reel 7 upon a power actuated reel 9, the sheet in its travel passing over or under idle rolls 11, 1

as well as about a softening tool 13 andja guide member 15.' The idle or unwinding reel 7 comprises a wooden core into the ends of which are driven bearing members207 which are rotatable on a fixed spindle 17. One of these bearing members (see Fig. 2)

has a disk-shaped outer end between the face of which and the face of a collar 19' is interposed a friction washer 21. A spring 23, the tension of which may. be varied by turning a hand wheel 25, furnishes means for varying the tension exertedon the sheet material during the winding operation. The power actuatedwinding reel 9 is provided with the usual slot to receive the end of the strip of emery cloth and may be rotated by any suitable mechanism, the ordinary back gearing of a lathe being shown driven by a belt 27 to draw the paper slowly in the directions indicated by the arrows.

- In order to permit ready removal of these reels and rolls, as well as topermit proper spacing of them, it is' dcsirable that their bearings should be adjustable in two or more directions; and inasmuch as the mountin of these bearings is identical, with a ew slight variations, which will be pointed out later, only one of them will be described in detail. The bearings are held between pivot screws 29 in yokes 31 the stems of which are held in adjusted vertical position in upright socket members 33 by screw bolts 35, said socket members bein fast to or integral with slides 37. The slides are mounted in guideways in blocks 39 being held in adjusted position by plates 41 which in turn are held down upon the slides 21' by screws 43. On their under sides the blocks have guideways to receive ribs 45 formed on the upper faces of slotted cross-pieces or supports 47 which rest upon legs 49. Depending from the blocks through the slots in the supports 47 are bolts 51 having threaded-upon their lower ends hand wheels 53 the hubs of which bear against the under sides of plates 55 and thereby hold the blocks in adjusted position lengthwise of the supports 47. It will thus be clear that the socket members 33 may be adjusted in the direction of the axes of their respec tive rolls to permit ready removal and replacement of said rolls, as well as. in a direction at right angles to said axes to permitproper spacing of said rolls; and that the i yokes may be adjusted vertically after the screw bolts 35 have been loosened. The bearings of all the rolls are substantially alike except that the bearings of the for ward roll 11 are fastened directly upon one of the plates 41 and that the spindle 17 of the unwinding reel has square ends which are received in correspondingly shaped yokes to prevent said spindle from rotating.

The softening tool 13 is shown as a roll of small diameter having wound thereon two helices 57 beginning at a point near the coils in the illustrative middle of said roll and extending in opposite directions. As best shown in Fig. 4, it will be seen that the pitch of these helices is considerable, the distance between the tool being greater than the diameter of said tool. The purpose of this construction is to permit the emery cloth to be drawn down between the coils so as to form waves which, when the tool is rotated, as will presently be described, travel rapidly from the middle portion to the edges of the sheet and thereby render it more flexible. At each end of the tool 7 is a sleeve 59 held in adjusted position by a set screw 61 and having cut in it a helical groove to receive the outer ends of the helices 57. It sometimes happens that theedges of the emery cloth receive too harsh a treatment or get turned in and broken. In such case the sleeves are adjusted toward the middle portion of the tool until they are in positions to extend a short distance under the edges of the sheet and said edges. I

This softening tool or roll is mounted in bearings supported pivotally by curved standards 63 which rest upon slides 37 exactly like the slides which support the socket members 33. Fast to one end of this soften ing roll is a pulley 65 to which power is applied by the belt 67 in the direction in dicated by the arrow so that the periphery of said roll where it engages the emery cloth travels in a direction opposite to that of the travel of said cloth. And while the emery cloth travels slowly,

thereby support formed by drawing the cloth tightly over the helices are caused to travel rapidly in a direction transverse to the travel of the sheet.

It is desirable to control the degree to which the softeningof the emery cloth is carried. To this end the guide member 15, herein shown as a roll of small diameter, is provided. This member is mounted like the idle rolls which support the emery cloth, and is capable of adjustment in the same directions. It will thus be seen that by loosening the appropriate hand wheels 53 the blocks 39 which support this guide roll or member 15 may be moved forward or backward on the supports 47 to decrease or to increase the area of contact between the emery cloth and the softening roll and thereby to control the degree of softening of said cloth. 7

In the operation of the machine a roll of emery cloth is mounted on the reel 7. Tu practice the cloth comes wound upon a wooden core such as indicated at 7. The bushings 207 are driven into this coreand then slipped on the spindle 17 and the spindle placed in its yokes.

The tension device is then applied and tightened somewhat by turning the hand wheel 25. The end of the sheet of emery cloth is then attached to a piece of cloth or leader which is long enough to reach from the softening tool 15 back to the winding reel 9, and the free end of the leader is fastened in the slot in said winding reel. The tension on the unwinding reel is then adjusted to the proper degree, the guide member 15 placed in the desired position, and power applied to the belts 27 and 67. The emery cloth travels slowly in the directions indicated cloth is softened by being drawn over or about the softening tool 13. If the edges of the sheet are receiving too harsh treatment, the machine is stopped and the sleeves 59 'moved into position to support said edges.

telling device is used, the parts ofjthe maby the arrows, and the chine are the same as before except that the two tools 75, 77 are substituted for the single tool 13, and said tools are rotated by belts applied to the two pulleys 79, 81. With this device the waves are caused to travel first in one direction and then in the other across the sheet. Whether the preferred or the modified device is used, the softening tools are made by winding small rods about the cylindrical cores to form the helices; and

in the form shown in Fig. 4; the two ends of the helices which meet are set into a tapered block 85 the forward edge of which is substantially flush with the surface of the core so that the cloth will not be caught and torn.

It will be understood that the machine shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes only and that the method may be carried out in any suitable manner.

'The machine in connection with the operation of which the present method has been described is not claimed herein but\ forms the subject-matter of my co-pending application Serial No. 140,096, filed Jan. 2, 1917.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-= ters Patent is:

1. That improvement in the art of softening sheet material which comprises progressively bending every portion of the sheet simultaneously in two directions at approximately right angles to each other.

2. That improvement in the art of soften-' ing sheet material which comprises putting tension on the sheet, forming a series of waves in said sheet, and causing said waves to travel across said sheet in directions at an angle to the direction in which the tensio is exerted. y

3. That improvement in the art of softening sheet material which comprises moving a sheet in a given direction while maintaining it taut by tension exerted in the same direction, forming waves in said sheet and causing said waves to travel at an angle to the direction in which said tension isexertedv and at a speed greater than the speed of movement of the sheet.

In testimony whereof I have signed'my name to this specification.

EDWARD F. HODGKIN S. 

